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Joel Matip
Job Joël Andre Matip (born 8 August 1991) is a German born Cameroonian international footballer who plays as a defender for Liverpool, signing on a free transfer from Schalke in 2016. Liverpool career After the arrival of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, there were a lot of rumours concerning Liverpool's defense, which had proved to be very leaky over the past few seasons. Klopp addressed this in his first transfer window, bringing in Steven Caulker on loan. This seemed to be only a temporary fix, and reports said the manager was still keen to improve in the summer. On 15 February 2016, it was confirmed that Liverpool had agreed a pre-contract with Matip, meaning that the Cameroonian will sign for the club in the summer, after his contract with Schalke has expired. On 1 July 2016, Matip's move was completed and he was officially registered as a Liverpool player. On the same day, it was announced that Matip was to wear the number 32 shirt for the 2016-17 season, with the number being given up by Cameron Brannagan. Matip suffered an injury in pre-season, and missed out on the opening two Premier League games of the season. On 23 August 2016 he made his debut, starting and keeping a clean sheet in a 5-0 win at Burton Albion. He made his Premier League debut four days later, putting in an acclaimed performance in a 1-1 draw at Tottenham. He became a vital part of the Reds' back four, becoming the club's first choice centre-back. On 29 October 2016, Matip scored his first goal for the club, heading in Liverpool's third in from a corner in a 4-2 win at Crystal Palace. Despite missing a lot of key games, Matip was one of the Reds' most consistent defensive performers in the 2016-17 season, and was crucial part of the defense that kept four clean-sheets in each of the last four games of the season, leading Liverpool to a top four finish. In the 2017-18 season, Matip continued to be the club's first choice centre-back, despite reported interest in other targets such as Virgil van Dijk. On 4 November 2017, Matip scored his first goal of the season, tapping in from close range to net Liverpool's second in a 4-1 win away to West Ham. After Christmas, Matip became a regular partner to the newly signed van Dijk, playing the majority of games alongside the Dutchman before the end of March. On 31 March however, Matip suffered an injury in a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace, which resulted in him missing the rest of the season. On 25 August 2018, Matip finally made a return to competitive action, coming on as a late substitute in a 1-0 win over Brighton. Due to the very impressive form of Joe Gomez, Matip was restricted to the substitutes bench for the opening few weeks, mainly coming on late to shore up the defence. On 22 September 2018, Matip made his first start of the season, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 win over Southampton. The Cameroonian scored Liverpool’s second of the game, with a towering header from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner. Due to injuries to Gomez and Lovren, Matip returned to the starting XI in the second part of the season, and formed a formidable partnership with Virgil van Dijk. He kept his place even after Gomez returned from injury, and was part of a defence that led Liverpool to a second consecutive Champions League final. On 1 June 2019, Matip started in the final, and put in a great performance as the Reds kept a Clean Sheet in a 2-0 win over Tottenham, winning their sixth European Cup, and Matip’s first honour with the club, Despite his impressive performances in 2019, Matip began the 2019-20 season again as the club’s third-choice centre-back, behind Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. On 4 August, Matip came off the bench in the Community Shield, and scored Liverpool’s only goal in an eventual penalty shootout defeat to Manchester City. On 14 August 2019, Matip made his 100th appearance for the club, starting in the UEFA Super Cup victory over Chelsea, with the Reds this time prevailing in a shootout, after a 2-2 draw. After this Matip continued to start in Liverpool’s first-choice centre-back partnership. On 24 August, Matip headed in the opening goal in a 3-1 win over Arsenal. This was his second of the season, the first time he had netted more than once in a season for the Reds. Honours Liverpool *UEFA Champions League: 1 (2019) *UEFA Super Cup: 1 (2019) Individual *Standard Chartered Player of the Month: 1 (November 2016) Stats External links * Category:Current Players Category:Defenders